As is widely known, currently, in retail to present goods on sale to the public, street traders use wooden or metal work surfaces on which the sale goods are displayed. The said structures have many drawbacks: each time the street trader has to set up the work surface, he has to arrange the goods on arrival at the market and replace them into boxes and the lorry at the end of the working day. Besides, the spare stock remains in the lorry and is out of easy reach. In addition to the aforementioned, the presence of at least two operators is frequently required to set up and replace all the goods with considerable loss of time on each occasion, particularly if the objects to handle and set up are very small, and the repetition of such operations entails the wear and tear of the coverings and causes fingermarks which ruin the aesthetic appearance of the objects and packaging.
Currently, to overcome the drawbacks illustrated above, on the market there are mobile display units illustrated in the patent for industrial invention U.S. Pat. No. 1,287,735 by the same Applicant which overcome the aforementioned problems.
In fact, the mobile units described in the U.S. Pat. No. 1,287,735 allow the goods on sale to always be contained tidily and permanently displayed using containers acting as a warehouse, thus completely avoiding the set-up and display demobilization time. In particular, the mobile units illustrated in the said patent are essentially composed of a support casing which includes a first quadrangular frame that forms the perimeter of a base surface from which four vertical uprights are detached which engage a second frame that forms the perimeter of a first display surface.
Besides, the said casing us fitted with four mobile uprights mounted on the first frame and engaging to a third frame that forms the perimeter of a second display surface. In greater detail, the first and second display surfaces are made of polyvinylchloride, which also proves to be easy to clean and, when the mobile unit is in operative mode, create a single and practical display surface to exhibit the goods, while on the base surface one or more sliding warehouse cases are housed to contain the spare stock at the disposal of the street trader.
The mobile unit is designed to pass from a resting condition, that is, closed, when it is transported, with the second display surface placed above the first surface, to an operative mode, that is, open, with the first and second surfaces placed side by side, thus creating a single horizontal surface.
The second surface, in operative mode, is supported by two support elements that form two legs and prevent it from tipping over, and by the support of the mobile upright against a stopping element present on the support casing.
From the said mobile unit, even though it overcomes the known technical problems previously illustrated, other technical problems have arisen. The first problem derives from the fact that the mobile units illustrated in the patent are recommended for containing different types of objects but are not suitable for containing, for example, foodstuffs. In fact, for the correct storage of foodstuffs, closed containers are necessary to avoid contact with the public, insects, dust and other items which would cause their deterioration, as well as the fact that certain temperatures are required for their correct conservation.
Another problem found in the sale of foodstuffs in travelling markets derives from the fact that the vans currently used are specially designed for the transport and storage of foodstuffs but such preparations involve considerable costs.
Another problem encountered emerges from the fact that, at times, the objects contained are heavy, so the street trader must exert a certain physical effort to put the mobile unit into operative mode, that is, when he has to rotate the second surface display, lowering the third frame until the two support elements touch the ground and the two surfaces are placed side by side.
Besides, the mobile units are currently of a height that does not conform to the regulations that require a maximum height of 100 cm for the sale of foodstuffs.
Finally, the said mobile units, even though allowing good display of the goods on sale, do not allow good arrangement, for example, of shoes that need a sloping surface for their optimum presentation to the public.